Select your membership category

Mar312014

Select your membership category

Regular memberships are for working journalists, authors, editors, producers, public information officers, science-writing educators, and people who write and produce films, museum exhibits, and other material intended to inform the public about science and technology. Applicants for regular membership are required to submit five samples of work (content should be science) produced for a non-expert audience in the past five years. Clips must include the publication or airing dates for each entry.

Also required are attestations from two current NASW members willing to endorse the application. Sponsors are responsible for briefly reviewing a candidate's qualifications and clips and sending a short paragraph (3-4 sentences will suffice) attesting that the applicant's work is consistent with NASW's purpose and outlining the applicant's qualifications. You will list the sponsors on the application, and you are responsible for contacting sponsors and asking them to send the email with the components noted above to director@nasw.org. If you need to find sponsors, try searching our Find a writer section or asking in one of our public discussion groups.

Student memberships are also available for those who are currently enrolled in journalism or science programs, or who are serving as reporters or editors at school newspapers. Student membership may be renewed year to year as long as the student remains enrolled in a degree-granting program. Upon completion, graduation, or if the student is no longer actively enrolled, student members must apply to become regular members. Students may retain student status during a short (6 months or fewer) transition period, i.e. between undergraduate and graduate programs. Once a student has become a regular member, he or she cannot return to student status in the event of further matriculation.